Workington (UK Parliament constituency)

Workington was a constituency^{[n 1]} in Cumbria represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.^{[n 2]}

Workington
Former county constituency for the House of Commons
Boundary of Workington in Cumbria
Location of Cumbria within England
County	Cumbria
Electorate	59,361 (December 2010)[1]
Major settlements	Workington, Maryport, Cockermouth, Silloth, Aspatria
1918–2024
Seats	One
Created from	Cockermouth and Eskdale
Replaced by	Penrith and Solway, Whitehaven and Workington

Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, the seat was abolished. The town of Workington itself was combined with the majority of the also-abolished constituency of Copeland to form Whitehaven and Workington. The remainder, comprising the majority of the electorate, formed part of the new seat of Penrith and Solway.^[2]

Workington
Racial makeup (2021)[3]
• White	98.6%
• Mixed	0.6%
• Asian	0.5%
• Other	0.2%
• Black	0.1%

Boundaries

Map of boundaries 2010-2024

The constituency covered much of the north-west of Cumbria, corresponding largely to the Allerdale borough, except for the areas around Wigton and Keswick. As well as Workington itself, the constituency contained the towns of Cockermouth, Maryport, Aspatria and Silloth.

1918–1950: The Municipal Borough of Workington, the Urban Districts of Arlecdon and Frizington, Aspatria, Harrington, and Maryport, and parts of the Rural Districts of Cockermouth, Whitehaven, and Wigton.

1950–1983: The Municipal Borough of Workington, the Urban Districts of Cockermouth, Keswick, and Maryport, and the Rural District of Cockermouth.

1983–1997: The District of Allerdale wards of All Saints, Binsey, Broughton, Castle, Clifton, Crummock, Dalton, Dearham, Derwent Valley, Ellen, Ellenborough, Ewanrigg, Flimby, Harrington, Keswick, Moorclose, Netherhall, Northside, St Bridget's, St John's, St Michael's, Salterbeck, Seaton Moor, Stainburn, and Westfield.

1997–2010: All the wards of the District of Allerdale except the Marsh, Wampool, Warnell and Wigton wards.

2010–2024: The Borough of Allerdale wards of All Saints, Aspatria, Boltons, Broughton St Bridget's, Christchurch, Clifton, Ellen, Ellenborough, Ewanrigg, Flimby, Harrington, Holme, Marsh, Moorclose, Moss Bay, Netherhall, St John's, St Michael's, Seaton, Silloth, Solway, Stainburn, Wampool, Waver, and Wharrels.

History

The constituency was created by the Representation of the People Act 1918, which also abolished the seat of Cockermouth. Workington has traditionally supported the Labour Party, although a by-election in 1976 (forced by the elevation of Fred Peart to the House of Lords) was won by Richard Page of the Conservative Party. However, the constituency reverted to type at the 1979 general election when it was regained by Labour. Labour held the seat until the 2019 general election, when Mark Jenkinson won the seat for Conservatives for the first time in forty years.^[4]

Members of Parliament

Election		Member[5]	Party
	1918	Thomas Cape	Labour
	1945	Fred Peart	Labour
	1976 by-election	Richard Page	Conservative
	1979	Dale Campbell-Savours	Labour
	2001	Tony Cunningham	Labour
	2015	Sue Hayman	Labour
	2019	Mark Jenkinson	Conservative
	2024	Constituency abolished

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

General election 2019: Workington^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Mark Jenkinson	20,488	49.3	+7.6
	Labour	Sue Hayman	16,312	39.2	―11.9
	Brexit Party	David Walker	1,749	4.2	New
	Liberal Democrats	Neil Hughes	1,525	3.7	+1.0
	Independent	Nicky Cockburn	842	2.0	New
	Green	Jill Perry	596	1.4	New
	Independent	Roy Ivinson	87	0.2	―0.5
Majority			4,176	10.1	N/A
Turnout			41,599	67.8	―1.4
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+9.7

General election 2017: Workington^[7]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sue Hayman	21,317	51.1	+8.8
	Conservative	Clark Vasey	17,392	41.7	+11.6
	UKIP	George Kemp	1,556	3.7	―15.9
	Liberal Democrats	Phill Roberts	1,133	2.7	―1.7
	Independent	Roy Ivinson	278	0.7	+0.2
Majority			3,925	9.4	―2.8
Turnout			41,676	69.2	+3.6
	Labour hold		Swing	―1.4

General election 2015: Workington^[8][9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sue Hayman	16,282	42.3	―3.2
	Conservative	Rozila Kana	11,596	30.1	―3.8
	UKIP	Mark Jenkinson	7,538	19.6	+17.4
	Liberal Democrats	Phill Roberts	1,708	4.4	―11.1
	Green	Jill Perry	1,149	3.0	New
	Independent	Roy Ivinson	190	0.5	New
Majority			4,686	12.2	+0.6
Turnout			38,463	65.6	―0.3
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 2010: Workington^[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Cunningham	17,865	45.5	―6.5
	Conservative	Judith Pattinson	13,290	33.9	+4.8
	Liberal Democrats	Stan Collins	5,318	13.5	―0.9
	BNP	Martin Wingfield	1,496	3.8	New
	UKIP	Steve Lee	876	2.2	―1.2
	English Democrat	Rob Logan	414	1.1	New
Majority			4,575	11.6	―11.2
Turnout			39,259	65.9	+3.4
	Labour hold		Swing	―5.7

Elections in the 2000s

General election 2005: Workington^[11]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Cunningham	19,554	50.5	―5.0
	Conservative	Judith Pattinson	11,659	30.1	+0.5
	Liberal Democrats	Kate Clarkson	5,815	15.0	+2.5
	UKIP	Mark Richardson	1,328	3.4	New
	Legalise Cannabis	John Peacock	381	1.0	―1.5
Majority			7,895	20.4	―5.5
Turnout			38,737	64.7	+1.3
	Labour hold		Swing	―2.8

General election 2001: Workington^[12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tony Cunningham	23,209	55.5	―8.7
	Conservative	Timothy Stoddart	12,359	29.6	+5.2
	Liberal Democrats	Ian Francis	5,214	12.5	+4.5
	Legalise Cannabis	John Peacock	1,040	2.5	New
Majority			10,850	25.9	―13.9
Turnout			41,822	63.4	―11.7
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1990s

General election 1997: Workington^[13]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Dale Campbell-Savours	31,717	64.2	+10.0
	Conservative	Robert Blunden	12,061	24.4	―12.0
	Liberal Democrats	Philip Roberts	3,967	8.0	+0.6
	Referendum	George Donnan	1,412	2.9	New
	Independent	Chris Austin	217	0.4	New
Majority			19,656	39.8	+17.5
Turnout			49,374	75.1	―6.9
	Labour hold		Swing	+11.0

General election 1992: Workington^[14][15]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Dale Campbell-Savours	26,719	56.9	+4.5
	Conservative	Stuart Sexton	16,270	34.7	―2.4
	Liberal Democrats	Christine Neale	3,028	6.5	New
	Monster Raving Loony	David Langstaff	755	1.6	New
	Natural Law	Nicola Escott	183	0.4	New
Majority			10,449	22.2	+6.9
Turnout			46,955	81.5	+0.9
	Labour hold		Swing	+3.5

Elections in the 1980s

General election 1987: Workington^[16]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Dale Campbell-Savours	24,019	52.4	+0.4
	Conservative	Anne McIntosh	17,000	37.1	+1.0
	Liberal	Greville Badger	4,853	10.6	―1.2
Majority			7,019	15.3	―0.7
Turnout			45,872	80.6	+1.0
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1983: Workington^[17]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Dale Campbell-Savours	23,239	52.0	―1.2
	Conservative	Michael Smith	16,111	36.1	―4.6
	Liberal	Neil Blackshaw	5,311	11.8	+5.8
Majority			7,128	15.9	+3.4
Turnout			44,661	79.6	―5.2
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.7

Elections in the 1970s

General election 1979: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Dale Campbell-Savours	24,523	53.2	―2.2
	Conservative	Richard Page	18,767	40.7	+8.4
	Liberal	N. Blackshaw	2,819	6.1	―5.7
Majority			5,756	12.5	―11.2
Turnout			46,109	83.8	+8.0
	Labour hold		Swing

By-election 1976: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Richard Page	19,396	48.2	+15.9
	Labour	Dale Campbell-Savours	18,331	45.6	−10.4
	Liberal	Bernard Wates	2,480	6.2	−5.6
Majority			1,065	2.6	N/A
Turnout			40,207
	Conservative gain from Labour		Swing	+13.2

General election October 1974: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Fred Peart	22,539	56.0	−3.7
	Conservative	Richard Page	12,988	32.3	−8.1
	Liberal	J. Burns	4,728	11.8	New
Majority			9,551	23.7	+4.4
Turnout			40,255	75.8	−0.6
	Labour hold		Swing

General election February 1974: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Fred Peart	24,000	60.0	−2.0
	Conservative	Richard Page	16,230	40.3	+2.0
Majority			7,770	19.3	−4.1
Turnout			40,230	76.4	−1.0
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1970: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Fred Peart	24,975	61.7	−1.6
	Conservative	Michael Turner-Bridger	15,532	38.3	+1.6
Majority			9,443	23.4	−3.2
Turnout			40,507	77.4	−3.0
	Labour hold		Swing	-1.6

Elections in the 1960s

General election 1966: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Fred Peart	24,981	63.3	+1.2
	Conservative	Michael Fernley Turner-Bridger	14,475	36.7	−1.2
Majority			10,506	26.6	+2.4
Turnout			39,456	80.4	=3.1
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1964: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Fred Peart	25,522	62.1	+2.0
	Conservative	Harold Denman	15,565	37.9	−1.9
Majority			9,957	24.2	+3.8
Turnout			41,087	83.48	−2.4
	Labour hold		Swing

Elections in the 1950s

General election 1959: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Fred Peart	25,537	60.18
	Conservative	T Martin Brannan	16,894	39.82
Majority			8,643	20.36
Turnout			42,431	85.89
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1955: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Fred Peart	25,110	59.4	−0.6
	Conservative	T Martin Brannan	17,182	40.6	+0.6
Majority			7,982	18.8	−1.2
Turnout			42,292	86.14	−1.39
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1951: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Fred Peart	25,893	60.02	+2.41
	Conservative	Helen Fox	17,249	39.98	+7.83
Majority			8,644	20.04	−5.42
Turnout			43,142	87.53	−1.91
	Labour hold		Swing	-5.42

General election 1950: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Fred Peart	25,104	57.61
	Conservative	Helen Fox	14,009	32.15
	Liberal	David Cedric Gwynne Sibley	4,460	10.24
Majority			11,095	25.46
Turnout			43,573	89.44
	Labour hold

• This constituency underwent boundary changes between the 1945 and 1950 general elections and thus calculation of change in vote share is not meaningful.

Election in the 1940s

General election 1945: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Fred Peart	24,876	72.5	N/A
	Conservative	G.C. White	9,438	27.5	New
Majority			15,438	45.0	N/A
Turnout			34,314	80.7	N/A
	Labour hold		Swing	N/A

Elections in the 1930s

General election 1935: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Thomas Cape	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

General election 1931: Workington

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Thomas Cape	18,469	54.91	−10.3
	Conservative	Christopher Lowther	15,165	45.09	+10.3
Majority			3,304	9.82	−20.6
Turnout			33,634	85.91	−10.3
	Labour hold		Swing	-10.3

Elections in the 1920s

General election 1929: Workington^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Thomas Cape	20,591	65.2	+9.6
	Unionist	John Mellor	10,995	34.8	−9.6
Majority			9,596	30.4	+19.2
Turnout			31,586	81.2	−3.2
Registered electors			38,915
	Labour hold		Swing	+9.6

General election 1924: Workington^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Thomas Cape	15,353	55.6	−0.9
	Unionist	E. Davies	12,243	44.4	+0.9
Majority			3,110	11.2	−1.8
Turnout			27,596	84.4	+0.9
Registered electors			32,690
	Labour hold		Swing	−0.9

General election 1923: Workington^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Thomas Cape	15,296	56.5	+1.8
	Unionist	Lancelot Evelyn Gaunt	11,781	43.5	−1.8
Majority			3,515	13.0	+3.6
Turnout			27,077	83.5	−0.2
Registered electors			32,425
	Labour hold		Swing	+1.8

General election 1922: Workington^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Thomas Cape	14,546	54.7	+3.2
	Unionist	Lancelot Evelyn Gaunt	12,064	45.3	+16.0
Majority			2,482	9.4	−12.8
Turnout			26,610	83.7	+13.0
Registered electors			31,789
	Labour hold		Swing	−6.4

Election in the 1910s

General election 1918: Workington^[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Thomas Cape	10,441	51.5
	Unionist	D.J. Mason	5,946	29.3
	Liberal	Robert Strother Stewart*	2,968	14.6
	Independent	R. Millican	943	4.6
Majority			4,495	22.2
Turnout			20,298	70.7
Registered electors			28,691
	Labour win (new seat)

* Stewart was endorsed by the Coalition Government but repudiated it.

See also

• Cumbria portal

• List of parliamentary constituencies in Cumbria

Notes

1. A county constituency (for the purposes of election expenses and type of returning officer).
2. As with all constituencies, the constituency elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election at least every five years.